Is Mounjaro Available on the NHS?

Last Updated: 28 September 2026

Is Mounjaro available on the NHS?

Yes, the NHS does prescribe Mounjaro, though only to people who meet the current criteria. 

In England, the NHS prescribes Mounjaro, the brand name for tirzepatide, for two different reasons: weight management and type 2 diabetes. Each one has its own rules about who qualifies. Specialist weight management services could prescribe tirzepatide from March 2025. GP practices in England followed on 23 June 2025.

A recommendation from NICE does not mean every patient who qualifies can get Mounjaro from an NHS practice today; it can depend on Mounjaro’s cost and access in your local area. 

The NHS works through four separate steps before you can get a prescription:

1. NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, recommends how the NHS in England should use tirzepatide. NICE also sets the clinical criteria across England.

2. NHS England sets out how the rollout runs nationally. This includes the order in which groups become eligible.

3. Local NHS organisations deliver the service in your area.

4. A clinician assesses whether the treatment suits you as an individual.

Can you get Mounjaro on the NHS for weight management?

For weight management, NHS access in England currently covers two groups of people living with obesity. One group has a body mass index (BMI) of 35 to 39.9. The other has a BMI of 40 or above. A lower threshold applies to several ethnic backgrounds at every stage.

The NHS widens access to Mounjaro in stages, rather than opening it to everyone at once. NHS England calls these stages cohorts. When a new cohort opens, GP practices can consider people who meet the eligibility criteria. NICE has given the NHS up to 12 years to reach everyone covered by the recommendation. The first three years prioritise those with the highest clinical need.

Cohort	Open from	BMI	Qualifying conditions
Cohort 1	23 June 2025	40 or above	At least 4 of the 5
Cohort 2	23 June 2026	35 to 39.9	At least 4 of the 5
Cohort 3	2027/28 to 2028/29	40 or above	3

You currently need at least four of these five conditions to qualify for the weight management route. The five are: raised cholesterol or triglycerides, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or type 2 diabetes. 

Can you get Mounjaro on the NHS with a BMI under 35?

Not usually through the weight management route, because the NICE recommendation starts at a BMI of 35 for most people. NICE sets the threshold 2.5 points lower for several ethnic backgrounds. Those patients qualify from a BMI of 32.5 and still need four of the five listed conditions. The type 2 diabetes route works differently and can allow a lower BMI in specific circumstances. 

Why is the BMI threshold lower for some ethnic backgrounds?

NICE applies a BMI threshold 2.5 points lower for several ethnic groups because weight-related health risks appear at a lower body weight. The reduction covers people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean ethnic backgrounds. The lower figure applies once your practice has recorded your ethnic background and you meet the clinical criteria. 

NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent gives a local example of the adjusted criteria. The board sets the BMI threshold at 37.5, where the standard threshold is 40. The same 2.5 reduction carries into Cohort 2, giving a BMI range of roughly 32.5 to 37.4.

Does meeting the criteria guarantee a prescription?

You can meet the Mounjaro NHS criteria and still not receive a prescription straight away. Integrated care boards (ICBs) plan NHS services in each area. They affect when local GP practices start prescribing Mounjaro. 

A freedom of information investigation covered all 42 ICBs in England. The investigation found differences in how boards were opening up access: 

• NHS South Yorkshire asks for a supported weight loss attempt in the previous 24 months.
• Lancashire and South Cumbria limited early access to people living in the most deprived areas. 
• Greater Manchester split the first cohort into three smaller groups ranked by clinical need. 
• NHS Cheshire and Merseyside has told local patients that prescribing may pause at times.

Is Mounjaro available on NHS prescription everywhere in England?

Not yet, because integrated care boards set their own pace and some practices have not started prescribing at all.

What happens if you stop meeting the criteria after starting treatment?

NICE says people already taking treatment who no longer meet Mounjaro NHS eligibility should be able to continue. You and your clinician decide together when stopping makes sense.

Can you get Mounjaro on the NHS for type 2 diabetes?

If you have type 2 diabetes, a completely separate set of NICE rules applies. NICE guidance on tirzepatide for type 2 diabetes applies when metformin and two other diabetes tablets have not brought blood sugar down. Tirzepatide is also an option if you cannot take that combination, or if you cannot tolerate it. 

Patients usually still need a BMI of 35 or above, alongside health problems linked to their weight. A lower BMI can still qualify in some circumstances. Examples include where insulin could substantially affect the person’s work, or where losing weight would help other serious conditions. People prescribed tirzepatide for type 2 diabetes take it alongside dietary changes and physical activity advice.

How can you find out if you are eligible for Mounjaro on the NHS?

Your GP practice is usually the first NHS contact for weight management access. People with type 2 diabetes may need to speak to their diabetes team instead. NHS England asks people to check with their local integrated care board before assuming they qualify. The NHS website lists every board by area.

Do not evaluate your own eligibility from your BMI alone. A clinician first needs to confirm whether you meet the clinical criteria. Conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea need a formal diagnosis before they can count towards eligibility. Some people reach treatment through a specialist weight management service instead of a GP practice. 

Does the NHS provide support alongside the injection?

Yes, NHS England pays for support services that sit alongside the prescription itself.

Can you move from a private prescription to NHS treatment?

You can ask, though NHS teams assess you against the same national criteria as everyone else. A Mounjaro prescription from a private provider does not automatically transfer into NHS eligibility. 

Can you get Mounjaro on the NHS in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?

As of September 2026, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each set their own rules, and the England cohorts do not apply there. 

Nation	Who can get it now	Where it is prescribed	What happens next
Scotland	BMI 38 or above, or 35 for some ethnic groups, plus one weight-related condition	Weight management services, and other NHS settings that can give lifestyle advice	Plans to lower the BMI limit to 35, then 30 alongside certain criteria
Wales	Only specific groups, such as people waiting for cancer treatment, urgent surgery or fertility treatment	Specialist weight management services	GP prescribing not yet decided
Northern Ireland	BMI over 45, plus one serious health condition	A new obesity service opening in autumn 2026	Later phases planned

Scotland allows a lower BMI where weight loss is needed first for essential care, such as surgery or fertility treatment. Health boards in Wales add their own referral rules on top of the national ones. For example, Betsi Cadwaladr in North Wales considers referrals only above a BMI of 45, and asks patients to complete its KindEating programme first. Northern Ireland plans to let people refer themselves, without needing a GP referral first. 

 Ask your GP practice what your health board or trust currently offers. 

What can you do if you are not eligible for NHS Mounjaro?

Speak to your GP practice about the weight management support the NHS does offer you. Local services vary from area to area. Programmes can cover dietary changes, physical activity advice and help with changing everyday habits. Your practice can tell you what you can join now.

Your GP practice can also prescribe orlistat, a capsule taken with meals. NHS criteria for orlistat start at a BMI of 30, or 28 with a weight-related condition. Orlistat works differently from Mounjaro by reducing how much fat your body absorbs from food. Semaglutide is another option, though only a specialist weight management service can prescribe it on the NHS.

Mounjaro is also available privately in the UK, outside the NHS entirely. We supply Mounjaro at Simple Online Pharmacy following an online consultation, and our prescribers assess whether it suits you. 

Why is Mounjaro cheaper on the NHS?

Patients sometimes ask us why the NHS price is so much lower than paying privately. Mounjaro cost and access look very different on the NHS and privately, and the NHS route caps the cost for its patients. 

On the NHS, you pay the standard prescription charge of £9.90 per item. If you take multiple medicines, a prepayment certificate costs £32.05 for three months or £114.50 for a year. It then covers all your prescriptions and can help to reduce costs. People who are exempt from prescription charges pay nothing.

What does Mounjaro cost privately?

A private prescription for Mounjaro in the UK follows a consultation with a prescriber. Private treatment involves an ongoing cost for as long as you continue the medicine. Each provider sets its own price, so costs vary between pharmacies. 

NHS weight management support is the place to start for anyone weighing up the options if you can’t afford Mounjaro. You can also compare Mounjaro and Wegovy costs first, because each medicine carries a different price. Other GLP-1 weight loss medicines such as oral Wegovy and Foundayo pills may be cheaper too.

Check that any pharmacy you use is registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council before ordering a prescription-only medicine.

When should I see a doctor?

Contact the team that prescribed your Mounjaro about side effects that are uncomfortable or persistent. Do the same if you are unsure whether to continue. 

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation that is uncomfortable but manageable
• Heartburn, reflux, or changes in your appetite that worry you
• Questions about staying on your current dose or pausing treatment

Contact your GP practice or call NHS 111 about symptoms needing same-day assessment.

• Yellowing of your skin or eyes, or severe pain in the upper right of your stomach
• Being sick repeatedly and unable to keep any fluid down
• Persistent vomiting or diarrhoea that makes it difficult to stay hydrated—for example, because you can’t keep fluids down.
• Dark urine, or passing urine less often than usual
• Signs of low blood sugar, if you also take insulin or a diabetes tablet called a sulfonylurea

Stop Mounjaro and call 999 or go to A&E if you notice any of the following.

• Severe stomach pain spreading through to your back that does not ease
• Swelling of your face, lips or throat, or any difficulty breathing
• Thoughts of self-harm. Go to A&E and ask for the CRISIS team

The NHS lists nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea, stomach pain and tiredness among the common side effects of tirzepatide. Inflammation of the pancreas and gallbladder problems appear far less often, and both need urgent assessment.

Key takeaways

• The NHS prescribes Mounjaro for two reasons: weight management and type 2 diabetes.
• Weight management access in England currently means having a BMI of 35 or above plus at least four listed conditions.
• A lower BMI threshold, usually 2.5 points lower, applies to several ethnic backgrounds.
• Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own arrangements.

References

Tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity (TA1026), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2024 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Interim commissioning guidance: NICE TA1026 tirzepatide (Mounjaro), NHS England, 2025 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Weight management injections, NHS England, 2026 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Tirzepatide for treating type 2 diabetes (TA924), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2023 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Tirzepatide: a medicine to manage type 2 diabetes and treat obesity, NHS, 2026 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Diarrhoea and vomiting, NHS, 2026 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

ICBs ration Mounjaro prescribing with additional eligibility criteria, The Pharmacist, 2026 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Mounjaro (tirzepatide), NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, 2026 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Weight management medication, NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, 2026 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for obesity: public summary, Scottish Medicines Consortium, 2024 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP RA consensus statement for phased implementation, Scottish Government and Healthcare Improvement Scotland, 2024 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

New clinical pathway for treating and managing obesity (WHC/2025/043), Welsh Government, 2025 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Weight loss medications, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, 2026 [Accessed 17 September 2026]. 

Health Minister announces first phase of NI’s first Obesity Management Service, Department of Health (Northern Ireland), 2026 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

NHS prescription charges, UK Parliament written ministerial statement, 2025 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Find your local integrated care board, NHS, 2026 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Orlistat, NHS, 2026 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

Overweight and obesity management (NG246), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2025 [Accessed 17 September 2026].

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